WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Pace University has appointed David Yassky dean of Pace Law School, effective Tuesday, April 1.

Yassky succeeds Michelle S. Simon, who served as dean for the past seven years and will return as a full-time faculty member.

“I am delighted with David’s appointment as the new dean of Pace Law School,” said Pace University president Stephen J. Friedman. “His enthusiasm, judgment, leadership and management skills make him the right person to lead the Law School to new heights.”

A graduate of Yale Law School and Princeton University, Yassky most recently served for four years in the Bloomberg administration as Chair of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission. Yassky is credited with implementing a number of initiatives to improve service for taxi passengers, living standards for taxi drivers, and streamline the TLC’s administrative operations.

Yassky also served for eight years in the New York City Council, representing the neighborhoods in Brooklyn.

He sponsored innovative legislation establishing new penalties for firearms trafficking, authorizing whistle-blower suits against fraudulent city contractors, creating zoning incentives for affordable housing, establishing tax credits for film and TV production and promoting the use of fuel-efficient hybrid cars as taxicabs.

Before election to the Council, Yassky had a distinguished legal career in government service, private practice and academia.

In the 1990s, Yassky served under Chuck Schumer as chief counsel to the House Subcommittee on Crime, helped to enact the Brady Law, the Assault Weapons Ban and the Violence Against Women Act, and practiced law.

“I am thrilled to be joining the Pace Law School team at this pivotal moment in legal education,” Yassky said.

“Under the leadership of Dean Simon and her predecessors, Pace has earned a deservedly strong reputation for producing excellent lawyers and first-rate scholarship. I look forward to helping the Law School continue to thrive in this rapidly changing environment.”

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